Star Children
by Blacknovelist
Summary: If there's one thing Yagi Toshinori is not good at in any way, it's saying "no" to his students. (Rated for swearing)


**A/N: The next installment of the Watch the Stars series! Today's stars are Class 1-A and their dorm parents Inko and Toshinori. It's set loosely in the same verse and time of New Management - after the kids start calling them mom and dad.**

 **It's a headcanon of mine that Toshinori likes stargazing, and he knows a lot of stories about constellations from when he was young and from all his travels as a Pro Hero. I made a post about it, so you can find the link on the AO3 or tumblr crossposts of this (outgoing links from ffnet are busted, sorry).**

 **If there's any characters or ships you want to see written for this verse, please drop me a line here or on my tumblr Blacknovelist55! I'd be glad to hear it and try my hand at the idea, no matter what it is.**

 **Edit: Someone on Ao3 pointed out to me that the Japanese have their own variation of the Magpie Bridge myth and festival, which was my bad! I made some minor edits to that part to include it - thanks for pointing it out!**

* * *

It was the perfect night to go stargazing.

At least that's how it looked to Toshinori, given how clear the sky was. Not a single cloud obscured the sun's slow descent, the gradient blue and purple sky stretching all around them and turning the trees into silhouettes. The children of 1-A fanned out in front of him, wrangling with several sheets under Inko's watchful eye, and he shifted the cooler of drinks he'd convinced them to let him carry to his other arm. Next to him Izuku twitched at the movement, glancing over.

He wasn't sure whose idea this was anymore, to go out and watch the stars. It had started as an offhand comment about a meteor shower from Kirishima, which had caught the attention of the girls (who thought it was romantic) and several of the boys (who thought it was cool), and escalated until Toshinori found himself bombarded with questions about where they could watch it and if it was alright.

"Well, since you don't have any lessons the next few days I don't see how it could hurt, as long as we stay on the school grounds," he'd said, mind still lingering on how quickly they'd managed to get used to calling him dad (and at least five of them had). His students cheered at that and sprang into action immediately, all but pushing him out the door as they scrambled for sheets to lay on and snacks to bring.

Inko had stepped out of her room at this point, watching as Kaminari and Ashido raced past her to see who could gather the most picnic blankets. "What's going on here?" She asked.

"Hi mom."

"Did you know there's gonna be a meteor shower tonight?"

"We're gonna go watch the stars. Do you wanna come? Dad's coming too!"

"Is he?" Inko met Toshinori's gaze, questioning, and he shrugged, an amused smile on his face. "In that case, I'll join you. The more the merrier, right?"

And so it was that she stood with them in one of the training fields, helping smooth the creases in the blankets and sleeping bags that had been dug up from the storage room and spread across the grass.

"According to my research, the peak viewing time will arrive at approximately eleven pm and last until four am," Iida said, glasses glinting near-black in the fading light. He leaned back to admire his handiwork, patting down a clump of grass. "It is about nine right now, which gives us two hours to prepare for the meteor shower."

"Don't forget we might see some before then," Uraraka said, bouncing in place beside Toshinori with a cooler in each hand. She tossed them forward and they gently floated to the ground, Toshinori and Izuku stepping up to set theirs down as well. "The shower could start at any moment now."

"All the better to start watching then!" Kirishima crowed, flopping down on the nearest mat and ignoring the irritated grumbles of his classmates as the sheet crumpled under him. "Not even the stars are gonna wait for us forever."

"You're only allowed to fucking say that if you don't ruin all of our hard work, fucking hair-for-brains!" Bakugou snapped, eyeing the wrinkles. Kirishima only laughed and sat up at that, ignoring the sparks that threatened the grass below.

"Oh, lighten up and lie down, Bakugou." Without any regard for his own safety, Kirishima grabbed Bakugou's hand, activated his quirk and pulled him down next to him, inciting a series of shouts and muted explosions as the boy in question tried breaking free without wrecking the blanket beneath them. The rest of the class ignored them with the ease of people used to such shenanigans, giving the two a wide berth as they found places to sit. Toshinori found himself pushed towards the middle of the group, a smiling Inko on one side, a laughing Izuku on the other and his students scattered all around. With the way the children were grinning at them, he had a feeling it was on purpose.

He turned his gaze to the sky, studying the few stars already peeking out as the rest of them settled. The evening chill swirled around them, kept at bay by their proximity - there was barely enough room for everyone to sit and lie as they pleased despite the number of blankets they'd laid out, but it had been a long time since close quarters made the class uncomfortable. "Make sure you wish on as many stars as you can!" Uraraka said, voice hushed like it was a secret to be cherished and the meteors would never come if she spoke too loudly. "You can never make too many wishes."

Bakugou scoffed and rolled over to half-glare at her, having finally stopped fighting. "A wish," he said, just as quiet. "What are you, five?"

"As if you never made a wish on a star even as a kid, Bakugou," Jirou said. The response was a near-silent hissing and more sparks lighting up the darkness, but Bakugou refused to exchange any more words and she took her victory for what it was.

Ashido twitched. "So when are the meteors gonna show up, again?" She asked, tapping her fingers.

Iida pushed up his glasses. "Well, the peak times-"

"Yeah yeah, in a couple of hours, I know." She shrugged. "Sorry Iida, but I want to know when we're gonna actually _see_ the meteors. Y'know, dozens all across the sky like it's raining or something!"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Ashido," Shouji said, turning a mouth towards her, "but that's not how meteor showers actually work in real life."

"What? No way!"

"We'd probably be lucky to see more than one a minute," Satou said. "I don't think they'd be considered rare or special if they literally rained from the sky like that."

"And that's not to mention there's no actual time they may or may not show up. "

"Aw..."

"Maybe we should play a game to pass the time until they do show up then," Hagakure said, perking up. "How about truth or dare?"

Bakugou shot up in an instant, palms crackling. "FUCK no," he snarled, whipping around to face her. "I'm not getting fucking roped into helping you clean up that kind of fucking mess a second time."

Jirou waved a jack in front of her face dismissively, not bothering to move from where she was splayed on the ground. "I'm good."

"Truth or dare in the middle of stargazing," Sero said. "Really?"

"I don't think it sounds that bad." Kaminari shrugged, grinning.

"Well, I'd say yes, but last time we played I got stuck in the balcony so I think I'll pass this time around," Ojiro said.

"I mean, truth or dare didn't turn out well for _anyone_ last time," Kirishima pointed out.

Yaoyorozu frowned. "Personally, I doubt it would go well this time either."

"Sorry, Hagakure-kun," Inko cut in, apologetic humor in her voice, "but I'll have to veto that idea as well. You know the rules."

"Oh, okay..."

The rest of them stifled a giggle as Hagakure slumped, all but pouting at her idea being shot down. Ashido and Kaminari sulked with her, the three dejectedly turning towards Inko, and she sighed indulgently, attempting to placate them. "Now, now..."

Izuku grinned and glanced over at Toshinori, who was still staring at the sky, seemingly unaware of the conversations going on around him. He blinked at that, looking up in an attempt to discern what his teacher was staring at so intently. Izuku didn't find it and, after a moment's hesitation, he shuffled over instead, glancing up as he went until he was sitting next to the hero.

"Um, Toshinori-san?"

The man startled slightly, blinking down at Izuku. If he was fazed at the fact that he was much closer to him than earlier, he didn't show it. "Yes, my boy?"

"Are you alright?" Izuku asked. When he didn't get a reply he continued, fidgeting, "I mean, you've been staring at the sky for a long time and you seemed lost in thought, so I was worried if there was something important on your mind, or-"

"I see." He cut himself off at the gentle interruption and the hand on his head, ruffling his hair. "Thank you for worrying, Izuku. I promise I'm fine. I was just trying to see which stars were out tonight." Toshinori nodded up at the glittering lights. "It's been a long time since I've had the chance to take a good look at the constellations in this region, after all."

"Have they changed much?"

"Not since I was your age, no. I'm not quite that old just yet." Ignoring the sputtered protests of " _you're not old,"_ he took a look at the curiosity on Izuku's face and grinned, lifting a hand. "Here, let me show you." Izuku looked up as he traced an invisible pattern, saying, "See these stars above us? Those are the constellation Lyra, often used to represent Orpheus's lyre in western-classic astronomy. And there-" their eyes followed as his hand moved down- "is Aquila, which is usually seen as the eagle that carried the thunderbolts of the greek god Zeus. Beside both of those," he nodded, pointing out a much larger section, "is the constellation Cygnus. Western astronomy associates it with Greek and Roman myths too, but other myths exist involving what is called the 'magpie bridge'."

Tokoyami shifted, then leaned towards them. "I wasn't aware you were familiar with constellation stories and myths, sensei," He said, tilting his head curiously. "The magpie bridge has something to do with Tanabata, does it not?"

"That's correct, young Tokoyami! Our myth and festival were originally inspired by the Chinese, who have their own version." Toshinori paused. "Have you heard the full story before?"

"Once before, I think."

"There are a few differences between our myth and theirs. If you like, I can tell you the original version." Both Izuku and Tokoyami perked up and nodded at that, scrambling to face him. Toshinori chuckled. "You too, Izuku my boy? All right, I'll try to make it interesting then. There's a few ways the myth itself goes, but it's generally regarded that the ending is what matters the most anyways." Toshinori cleared his throat and folded his legs properly, unaware of the other prying ears being pointed at them as he looked up. "Long ago, there was a kindhearted man known as Niu-Lang, the cowhand-" He gestured towards Aquila- "who is represented by the star Altair, which is here. His parents died as a boy and his sister-in-law drove him away from home, and so he lived alone, farming and herding cattle. One day, a fairy known as Zhi-Nu, the weaver maid - who is represented as the star Vega, from Lyra - fell in love with him and, since it was illegal for a heavenly being to be with a mortal, came down to earth secretly in order to marry him."

Toshinori paused to take a breath, glancing at his enthralled audience (and subsequently failing to notice the added five members, or how it continued to grow) before he went on. "They lived happy lives together as a weaver and farmer for many years. However, the God of the Heavens eventually noticed Zhi-Nu was gone and sent the Queen Mother of the Western Heavens to bring her back, forcing her to leave her family behind.

"Wanting to reunite with his wife, who was then unable to leave the heavens, Niu-Lang used the celestial cattle to ride up into the sky with their two children. But before he could catch up to her-" Toshinori swiped his hand across the sky dramatically- "the Queen Mother used her golden hairpin to create a starry river - which is the Milky Way - between them. Trapped on the opposite banks, the two of them could only feel their tears of sadness at being separated forever."

Izuku frowned, blinking at him. "They couldn't have flown or sailed across the river to reunite?"

"Given how old this myth is, they wouldn't have any ships advanced enough to travel across a river as big and grand as one that split the sky at the time, my boy. Not to mention the gods were likely watching," Toshinori said. "And riding heavenly cattle only gets you so far - they cannot actually fly, after all."

He coughed and Izuku hastily apologized for interrupting. Toshinori waved it off. "It's alright, my boy, there's no need to apologize, curiosity is a fine quality. Where did... right." He shifted. "Now, the magpies were touched by their love, and from all over the world they gathered in the sky to create a bridge that spanned the river for them to cross and reunite at last. Eventually, the Queen Mother was also moved by this display and gave them permission to see each other once a year, on the seventh month of the seventh day. The Qixi Festival - or Tanabata here in Japan - is held on this day to celebrate their reunion, and it's also known as the Magpie Festival and Chinese Valentine's day."

He clapped his hands. "And that," he said, eyes closed, "is the story of the magpie bridge." A sniff jolted Toshinori out of his thoughts and he looked around frantically only to see Ashido in front of him, holding back tears of her own.

"T-that was, a really pretty story dad!" She sniffed again, rubbing her eyes.

"I didn't know there were constellations with stories like that behind them," Kaminari said excitedly, leaning forward, and Toshinori suddenly realized how many of his students had shifted around to him during the course of his story. They sprawled out in in front of him - and when had Iida moved close enough for Izuku and Uraraka to lean on him? - lying next to and on top of each other. Even Inko had turned to face him, intrigued. "Are there any others?"

"Plenty, my boy, from all over," Toshinori said. "Although, there's only so many constellations visible in one place at any time of year."

"Ooh, ooh, in that case, dad, tell us another one!" Hagakure exclaimed, all hints of boredom from earlier gone. "I wanna hear more stories!"

A chorus of agreement rose up and several of them frantically pointed at the sky, asking if there was a constellation there and what it was. At their eager faces any hesitance Toshinori had melted away, and he laughed.

"Alright, alright, this much I can do. Settle down," he called out, and they all sat back, staring eagerly. Twisting in spot, Toshinori looked up at the different stars his students had pointed to. "Hm, that'll do."

Shuffling sideways so he wouldn't have to crane his neck, he gestured to a set of stars near the edge of the horizon. "There, set below Sagittarius, is the constellation Genbu, often referred to as Corona Australis or the Southern Crown in western astronomy."

"Oh, I know that one," Tsuyu said. "It's the black tortoise, right?"

"That's right! As I'm sure most of you know, it's generally depicted as a tortoise or a turtle and a snake together..."

Inko smiled fondly at them, watching the excitement on the children's faces as Toshinori spoke. Toshinori himself was engrossed in telling the stories, every question and energetic shout making the smile on his face grow wider. They all but glowed with happiness, the single shooting star in the distance streaking off unnoticed.

* * *

Eventually it came to their attention that the meteor shower had started, and so the wee hours of the night saw twenty students and their two guardians-slash-teachers-slash-parents sprawled across the ground, foregoing the blankets altogether and laying across the grass as well. After exhausting Toshinori's horde of stories ("A number of constellations don't have any myths or meanings, and the rest that do aren't visible at this time of year") they were left with nothing to do and despite their best efforts, most of them got bored in the moments between each shooting star.

"...what makes a constellation a constellation anyway?" Hagakure asked. "Do people just... decide that a group of stars is a constellation? But if stars move, what if a constellation just falls apart after like, fifty years?"

"I'm pretty sure it takes more than fifty years for stars to move that much," Satou said.

"Constellations are made up of the brightest stars in a region of the sky, young Hagakure," Toshinori said. "Since they're usually used for directions and determining distances, or for astrology, modern constellations get assigned names based on where they are in the sky, like the northern and southern crowns. Older ones, like the zodiac constellations, were named either out of respect for certain individuals, or because they resembled something out of myth in some way."

Another meteor streaked by and everyone paused, watching it vanish into the night. "Okay, so constellations are lots of bright stars together," Hagakure fell over dramatically, staring back at Toshinori. "But what if they just disappeared? Or, or, what if two different people made two different constellations that were actually the same one? What happens then?"

"It used to be a problem - all of the modern constellations were either named or declared official to prevent overlap and conflicts with constellations in other regions. It's possible that some constellations have completely fallen apart between now and when they were first discovered, since some constellation records date all the way back to the ancient Babylonians."

"This conversation is fascinating and all," Kaminari cut in, pointing, "but I've gotta ask; is it just me or do those weird stars over there kind of remind you guys of Bakugou?"

"...The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"Woah, hey, just look at them, they've pretty much got your name written on them. That wasn't supposed to be an insult!"

Bakugou growled and Kaminari squeaked, shuffling away while Kirishima stared up where he'd pointed. "...Y'know, it does kind of remind me of Bakugou," He said, leaning back on his hands. The blond whipped around at that and Kirishima raised his hands in surrender. "What? If you fill them in in the middle it becomes all spiky and dramatic, just look at it!"

As if on cue everyone squinted at the sky, searching for the alleged group of Bakugou stars. There was a pause, and then; "It does look a bit like fireworks, doesn't it?" Yaoyorozu asked, tilting her head slightly. There's a chorus of agreement.

"Or like his hair," Jirou muttered under her breath.

"I think it's manly."

"But the real question here is how it got there in the first place," Ashido pointed out. "Who'd want to put an explosion in the sky?"

"Well that's the dumbest fucking question I've heard all night," Bakugou said. "It's obviously because some higher power decided I'm great enough to be immortalized in the goddamn stars, duh."

"I," Kaminari said, "can't believe you just said that un-ironically and with a completely straight face."

"What's fucking hard to believe about it, you fucking-"

"Ah, hey, come on, Bakugou, chill out!"

They all hid a chuckle when Kirishima sprang up, all but shoving himself between the two. "I don't think it's fair only Bakugou gets a constellation though," Ashido said, turning away. "How many more can we make up before the end of the night, do you think?"

"Well, why not one for each of us?" Uraraka suggested. "The night is young and the stars are shining, after all!"

"Obviously only the brightest and grandest constellation can be mine," Aoyama said, hand under his chin, and the people sitting next to him marvelled at how he managed to come across as sparkling without really sparkling at all. "One such as I deserves no less!"

Inko and Toshinori smiled at their enthusiasm, the kids all but shoving into each other as they gestured wildly between shooting stars, insisting _"No no no, that has to be you, look, it even has its own dark shadow"_ and saying things like _"if you look at that crossed shape over there like this it looks like a cat that stole Aizawa-sensei's goggles, so **obviously** that's Aizawa-sensei's constellation."_ The stories only became more outlandish as the night went on, but Toshinori did his best to listen and commit each one to memory nonetheless.

Some of their 'myths' sounded like something out of history while others were downright absurd, and the rest were almost laughably simple in comparison. Although they lapsed into silence whenever another meteor streaked across the sky, Toshinori found himself ignoring the shower in favour of focusing on what his students were saying, not wanting to miss a single detail.

Drawn into his thoughts as much as he was, he barely noticed when the aimless chatter slowly died down into something far more focused, ideas muttered under breaths and fingers pointed with a purpose. Inko hid a smile when she overheard the planning, and whispered to the ones sitting next to her. A murmur rolled through, and they all looked up.

"That one's definitely All Might's constellation."

Toshinori didn't bother hiding his startlement at that, jolting up from where he stared at the blanket beneath him and sputtering as the others voiced their agreement.

"Yeah!"

"Oh, good eye!"

"It's perfect for him."

 _My constellation..._

 _No...the constellation of who I was…?_

Their words filled the air as they debated stories and technicalities concerning the newly dubbed constellation. He opened his mouth, about to stop them, but he found himself unable to find the words.

"...I think it should be something big and showy," Kaminari said. "Do you think he'd do one of those muscle man poses?"

"Oh, but that doesn't really seem right. What if he had something more, yknow, with the hand over his chest... Like this!" Hagakure lay a hand over her chest, the other at her hip.

"...Really?"

"What about something from his debut, when he's carrying the people on his back?" Ashido asked. "That's a pretty heroic pose. It's practically constellation material."

"Oh, that's a good one!"

"I think," Izuku said over them, "those stars over there should be Toshinori's too. Right next to the All Might one, see?"

Toshinori nearly choked on blood. Inko carefully rubbed his back while he coughed, offering him a tissue with a gentle smile, and he gave her a shaky one back.

"Oooh, good call Deku!" Uraraka said. "That one is perfect for dad!"

"It's those ones there, right Midoriya?" Iida asked.

"Yeah! See, it's not a special pattern or anything, but I think it suits him?"

It was at this point Toshinori's brain started to shut down, and he slowly spoke up, his throat tight. "Izuku, all of you... While I appreciate the sentiment, there's no need for there to be two constellations when one is more than enough."

All his students blinked at him. "…Well, why not?" Todoroki asked, speaking up for the first time that night. "Constellations are based off important people and things that are respected, right?"

"They are, my boy."

"So if we respect All Might as much as Toshinori, then shouldn't we have a constellation for both?"

His throat closed and his heart gave a painful squeeze at that, and he tried to blink back the water in his eyes.

"Yeah, dad!" Ashido said, grinning brightly, and Toshinori made a willful effort not to look directly at her earnest face.

"Besides, we can't just take it back," Tokoyami remarked. "It's like Dark Shadow. They are both you and part of you, and you need to reflect that."

"Just accept them, Toshinori," Inko said, patting his arm.

"Besides, out of all the people we know, you deserve those constellations the most," Izuku said. "So no matter what you say, we're gonna give you two constellations and that's the end of it."

Everyone suddenly seems much closer to him than a few minutes earlier, and if not for the distracting ache in his nose and sting in his eyes he might've noted how serious his children were about all this. "...How can I argue against logic like that?" Toshinori laughed as he relented, voice thick, and the serious air broke as he mussed Izuku's hair and left the boy sputtering. "...Thank you."

His students leaned back, satisfied. "By the way," Kaminari started, "who else do we still need a constellation for?"

"Has anybody come up with one for mom?" Kirishima asked. There's a moment of silence. "Right. There's your answer."

Inko waved her hands. "You really don't need to..."

"Nonsense!" Iida said. "If sensei has one, it's only fair you get one too!"

"What do you think of those stars over there?"

"No no no, it's gotta be those! We need everyone in the same patch if sky, remember?"

"Oh, yeah..."

There was a memory in the back of Toshinori's mind, an old dream of reaching up and hanging stars in the sky for himself, and really, it isn't completely his fault he couldn't help but think _'I did it'_ when he looked up at the constellations. _His_ constellations.

It was nothing grand, a quiet proclamation rather than a massive ceremony, but it was more than he could ever have dreamed.

Behind him, Izuku shared a quiet smile with his classmates.

* * *

Toshinori stretched, groaning as his arms and back creaked with the motion. Even if his students had a free day he still had work to do as a teacher, and he'd ended up working overtime grading papers and fixing lesson plans. Aizawa had fixed him with a look every time he so much as hunched over and yawned, clearly knowing the source of Toshinori's exhaustion, and the pro hero had practically shoved the other man out of the teacher's lounge and told him to go home.

Pulling the door open, Toshinori was surprised to find the entry hall completely dark, the only light coming through the door from behind him. Looking around, he scanned for any evidence of an intruder - security was up in UA, but anything could happen...

"Hey, did anyone else hear the door opening?" He heard one of the children ask each other, and he let the tension leak from his shoulders with a sigh. It was just the kids, then, since Inko was still at work.

"I'm back!" Toshinori called, slipping his shoes off, and there was a scramble before the lights came on with a click. He pulled the door shut and stepped into the living room, only to see the nineteen children assembled near the couches, muttering among each other. "What's this all about?"

Kirishima stood by the light switch, waving. "Oh, dad, you have great timing. You've gotta see this!" He grinned, looking over at everyone. "Guys, I'm gonna shut them off!"

"You don't need to tell us every time you're turning off the goddamn lights, moron."

Darkness filled the room, and Toshinori could just barely see the silhouettes in front of him staring at the ceiling. "Check it out, dad!" Kaminari said.

He looked up like they asked, and his jaw dropped.

Painted on the ceiling and emitting a faint fluorescent blue light was a painstakingly rendered patch of the night sky. Certain stars glowed white among the blue, and it took Toshinori a moment to realize what it shaped - a constellation from the previous night, one that showed a cat in goggles.

The lights flicked back on, and the painting vanished completely. "Somebody put them all over the building in some kind of invisible glow-in-the-dark paint," Yaoyorozu said. "Doors, walls, ceilings, none of us know who did it or how, but all the constellations we made last night have been found everywhere."

"I...see," Toshinori said, peeling his eyes off where the cat constellation had been to look at his students. "Would you mind showing me the rest of them as well, then, young Yaoyorozu?"

"Of course."

Whoever had done this bizarre prank had done an incredibly thorough job of it, he found - each student's personalized constellation had been painted once on their door and once on their ceiling, only visible when there was barely any light left in the room and the stars glowing in personalized colors of orange and green and purple. Toshinori found his All Might constellation (red and blue) on the wall across from his door, which had his true form constellation scrawled in a golden yellow. Inko's constellation was drawn in matching green and blue on her door, but no constellations appeared inside their rooms. The rest of the ceilings and walls were decorated with the constellations of other heroes the children had created.

Later in the evening, Toshinori brought Aizawa in to get a second opinion on what to do about the them.

"It's not harming anyone, and the students seem fond of it," Toshinori said, pushing the door shut behind them. He refused to comment on his own obvious adoration of the constellations himself. "The paint appears to be completely safe as well."

"Just show them to me already, Yagi."

Leading the other man to stand by the couches, Toshinori shut the lights off. "Look up, Aizawa."

Aizawa blinked, did so, then blinked again. "...and this is?"

"A constellation your students came up with the other night."

"It's wearing my goggles."

"It's yours, so of course it's got something so they can tell," Toshinori chuckled. "They named the constellation after you."

"You've got these things all over the building?"

"That's right."

"And they don't know who did it."

"No."

Neither of them said nothing for a moment, and then; "As long as they aren't distracting or dangerous they can stay." Aizawa turned towards the door, and Toshinori flicked the lights back on. "I'll bring it up with the principal."

"I'm sure he won't mind - I saw his constellation on the third floor."

Aizawa's lip twitched, hidden in his scarf.

"Fine by me."


End file.
